‘One Engineering Entrance For All Indian Students’ – Put On Hold

26 Mar 2017

Read Time : 8 mins

Our Correspondent: The Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has received an official draft from the Education Ministry of Govt. of West Bengal yesterday regarding reanalyzing the decision ‘One Engineering Entrance For All Indian Students’ to be put on hold for substantial reasons.

Earlier the HRD ministry has decided to conduct single engineering entrance test every year and it will be designed in a way that the linguistic diversity of the country is taken into consideration. On the lines of NEET-examination, a single engineering entrance examination will be conducted for admission into engineering colleges from the academic year 2018-19, tentative decision taken by the HRD ministry on January, 2017.

It is also approached that even all IITs may also be brought in under the umbrella of the new common entrance test. The HRD ministry has recently asked the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to explain and mention suitable norms for holding such an exercise.

The HRD ministry has told the AICTE that the proposal is in line with the Government's policy and it could incorporate suitable regulations to enable the holding of such a test, sources said. The AICTE, oversees the aspects related to technical education in the country, had discussed at a recent meeting proposal for having a single entrance test for engineering colleges for undergraduate courses.

Although from many states of India raised voice against such decision for significant reasons. Especially Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Govt. has already shown strong disagreement on such decisions since a major education hub run by these two advanced states. Now Govt. of West Bengal also wrote a draft to put on hold such decision, since West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) is successfully held in West Bengal since last 40 years.

In addition, there are majority of candidates from non-english medium to sit for engineering entrance examination. The syllabus taught to these boards are also different to CBSE course curriculum. Therefore the filtering system for technical education in West Bengal may get affected for such decision – said Partha Chatterjee, Minister of School Education, Higher Education, Parliamentary Affairs (WB).

The ministry has taken this decision to bring in greater transparency, maintain higher standards and also try to ensure that students are saved from the burden of taking too many tests, the sources said. Although, the ministry is also in favor of seeking constructive suggestions from states and Self / Deemed Universities of India for the successful holding of such a test, they added.

Ritam Dutta is an official partner of "Day On My Plate". He is an entrepreneur in mind and passionate blogger by heart. Moreover, he is also an academician, author, public speaker, investor, and internet personality.